Holder for railroad-bridge warnings



May 5, 1925.

B. J. HASTINGS 1101mm FOR RAILROAD BRIDGE WARNINGS Filed Sept. 6, 1924 N RT W Patented May 5, 1925.

UNITED stares ra'rnnrorricc.

BENJAMIN J. HASTINGS, or Tannron, MnssacHUsn'rTs, nssrenoa r0 nasrinss SIGNAL & EQUIPMENT company, or nos'ron, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

HOLDER FOB RAILBQAD-IBRIDGE WARNINGS.

Application filcrl September To all iii/1.0112, itmay concern-"t; I

Be it known that I, BENJAMDT J. Hasfrijucs. a citizen of the United statearesiding at Tauntom county of Bristol, State of Massachusetts, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Holders for Bait road-Bridge lVarnings of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

The invention relatesto an improvement in lmlders for railroad bridge warning.

in length and there is secured to the lower end of each wire a rope which hangs down low enough so that. if a bralreman 1s standing or sitting on thetop of the car the rope will hit him in time to enable him to flatten himself on the car and avoid striking the bridge.

The present invention is an improvement upon the inventionshown and described in Patent No; 1,207,550, granted to me Decemher 5, 1916. The object of the invention of. said patent was to provide a simple device to be attached permanently to the arm overhanging the track and of such construction that the wires may be readily attached to or detached from said holder by an operative standing on the ground and using a pole. One drawback to the holder shown in said prior patent is that the latch is dependent solely on gravity to hold the latch in position to retain the bridge warning. As a result of such construction it sometimes happens that due to vibration or other causes the latch is tripped and the holder with the bridge warning is accidentally released. The object of thepresent invention. is to provide means for preventing such accidental detachment and at the same time permit theready removal or replacing of the, bridge warning when desired.

r The invention will be fully understood from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawc, 1924. serial No. 736,303.

ings, and the novel fcaturcsthereof will be pointed out and clearly defined in. the claims at the close of this specification.

' In the drawings:

Fig. 1 .isan elevation of an arm and post and a series of bridge warnings attached to said arm by means of devicesembodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is an elevation on a larger scale than Fig. 1 of one ofthe holders cmbodying the invention, detached from the supporting arm. r

Fig. 3 is a section on line 3-3, Fig. showing one of the wire hangers supported by the holder. i

Fig. 5 is a view showing the latch of the holder partly tipped up on its pivot while the hanger wire is being introduced or released.

Fig. 5 is a section on line 55, Fig. Fig. 6 is a bottom plan view of one of the holders. 3

i Fig. 7 is a detail view of the spring which maintains the latch in normal position when r the device is in use.

Referring to the drawings, a post having attached to the upper end thereof an arm 2 which projects crosswise above the track andwhich is usually connected at its other end with a post similar to the post 1. (hi the under side of the arm 2 is a wooden stringer 3 to which are secured the special devices or holders which embody the invention. The holder has 1 represents" head 4 provided with suitable means for attaching it to the stringer 8. The means shown consists of a screw 5.

The head 4 is formed with a vertical slot, 6 extending up from. the under side, said vertical slot being of only slightly greater horizontal width than the thickness of the wire 7 to which the rope 8 is secured and of snfiicient length so that the loop or eye 9 formed at the upper end of the wire may be easily entered into the slot 6, as shown in Fig. 5. The said slot preferably extends up into the head a distance about equal to the diameter of the eye -9 of the wire. Oneside wall of the slot 6 is formed with a slot 10 extending therethrough at right angles to the slot 6 and between cars 11, 11 between which is pivoted a latch member 12 on a pivot pin 13. Said latch has an arm 14 on one side of the pivot 13 which in its normal position, extends entirely across the slot 6 and has an arm on the opposite side of the pivot with a finger 15 which projects out through the slot 10 so that the latch may be tripped by an operator by means of a pole having a hook. The said latch 12 may be turned on its pivot so as to swing the arm 1% upward and inward into the slot 10 and out of the slot 6. A stop is provided to limit the downward swing of the arm 14 so that in its lowermost position it will extend crosswise of the slot 6 to support the hanger wire. The stop mechanism for thus limiting the downward movement of the latch is formed by the shoulder 16 at the lower end of the wall 17 which connects the two cars 11, 11 at their upper portions, the said ears extending some distance below the wall 17 so that the arm 1d can project through the slot 10. In order to hold the latch arm 1st crosswise of the slot 6 there is provided a spring which shall have sufiicient tension to normally retain the latch in the )roper position and yet be sufiiciently flexible to yield to the upward pressure of a suitable device to trip the latch when it is desired to detach the hanger or to insert a new one. Any suitable form of spring may be used for this purpose. The preferred form is that shown in the drawings. Said spring is preferably made of wire doubled back in the middle, as shown at 18 to form a loop at the bend, the two ends of the wire being secured together as shown at 19. The doubled member thus formed is bent into substantial U-shape as shown in Fig. 6 forming two pairs of leg members 20, 21, the

upper ends of one pair of leg members being joined together by the bend 18 in the middle of the wire and the upper end of the other pair of leg members being united at 19. The spring is inserted in the slot 10 between the ears 11 of the holder in such manner that the two pairs of leg members of the spring straddle the latch, one pair of leg members 21), 21 being in one side and the other pair being on the other side; The end 19 rests against the inner face of the wall 17, and the upper edge of the arm 1 1 will engage in the loop 18 and the loops 22 at the base of the two leg members of the spring will engage the under side of the pivot 13, as clearly shown in Figs. 2, 3, 1 and 5. The upper end 19 of one leg member is always kept stationary by its engagement with the wall 17 of the holder while the other leg may be flexed by turning the latch member on its pivot. By pulling down on the hook finger 15 of the latch member the arm 1 1 will be turned up, thereby turning up the leg member 21 01 the spring while the leg 20 is stationary, thus putting the spring under greater tension. vi hen the latch arm 14- is turned up by pulling down on the finger 15 the eye 9 of the hanger may be inserted or withdrawn as the case may be, and when the downward pull on the latch is released the tension of the spring will cause the movable arm 21 of the spring to spring back and thereby carry with it the arm 14: of the latch crosswise of the slot 6.

Vfhile I have specifically described one form of spring for this purpose, it is obvious that other forms of spring may be used to accomplish the desired purpose and it is to be understood that the form of spring shown and described is merely illustrative and the invention is not limited to any particular form of spring.

What 1 claim is:

1. A holder for a bridge warning hanger having a body termed with a slot to receive the eye of a hanger, a latch lever pivoted to said body and having one arm which normally extends crosswise of said slot, said latch being movable on its pivot to swing said arm up out of the slot to admit the eye of the hanger therein and a spring which is put under tension by turning the latch arm upward and which pulls the said latch arm back through the eye when the upward pressure is released and holds said latch lever transversely of the slot to support the hanger.

2. A holder for a bridge warning hanger having a body formed with a slot to receive the eye of a hanger, a latch lever pivoted to said body and having one arm which. normally extends crosswise of said slot, said latch lever being movable on its pivot to swing said arm up out of the slot to admit the eye of the hanger therein and a spring which is put under tension by turning the latch arm upward, and which pulls the said latch. arm back through the eye when the upward pressure on the latch arm is released and holds said latch lever transversely of the slot to support the hanger, said spring being of U-shape having one leg which engages with a wall of the holder, the upper end of the other leg of the spring engaging with the latch arm of the lever to hold it down, and a pivot for the latch lever which is engaged by the loop formed by the base of the U-shaped spring.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

BENJAMIN J. HASTINGS. 

